Eustáquio returns to XI: “My teammates and staff respect me…” | OneFootball

Stephen Eustáquio returns to the FC Porto starting eleven for Thursday’s match against Utrecht, which counts for the 4th round of the Europa League, and he confirmed his place in the starting lineup to Sport TV upon arrival at the Dutch team’s stadium.

“Today we will have Eustáquio in the starting eleven, yes. I am extremely confident, even though I haven’t had many minutes. I always train at my best and it’s training that gives me confidence. I feel I’m in good form and I have the respect of my teammates, the staff, the coaching team, and that’s all I need. So, I’m ready for the fight,” assured the Canadian international, adding that the defeat in the last round, away at Nottingham Forest, does not increase the pressure for today’s match.

“Just the fact that we play for FC Porto makes us want to win every game, we have that responsibility to win every match. Every game is important, and we’re going to face a very tough team here. We’re coming off a defeat in England in an equally tough match, but the team is working well and motivated for today’s game,” noted Eustáquio, ensuring that the team has recovered well from last Sunday’s match against Sp. Braga.

“We have very competent people at Olival who help us recover very well. The match against Sp. Braga was very demanding and we tried to push ourselves even harder, which made us run a lot, even more than Sp. Braga. That’s why we won. It’s a quick turnaround, all the players are important, and today is going to be extremely tough,” warned Eustáquio, stressing that FC Porto is prepared for Utrecht’s style of play.

“Against Sp. Braga it was a man-to-man situation, but we’ve also faced low blocks, and in Europe we’ve had more evenly matched games. The team has adapted well to other teams, always trying to impose our own style on the pitch. This Dutch team is very strong, has a very quick transition, and technically gifted players, but we’re in good shape. I am extremely confident,” Eustáquio concluded.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.